Paypal stops handling payments for Tommy Robinson

Image caption
Tommy Robinson at the Old Bailey in London to hear contempt charges

Paypal has told former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson it will no longer process payments on his behalf, the BBC understands.

The payments network is believed to have told Mr Robinson he had violated its terms and conditions.

It said Paypal could not be used to promote hate, violence or discrimination.

Online petitions calling on finance firms to sever links with him have gained thousands of signatures.

In a statement, Paypal said it could not comment on individual customers but added that it regularly reviewed accounts to ensure their use aligned with its acceptable use policy.

Accounts that broke its policies would be closed, it said.

Paypal added: “We do not take decisions like these lightly, and we work hard to be rigorous and fair-minded when reviewing PayPal accounts.

“Striking the necessary balance between upholding free expression and open dialogue and protecting principles of tolerance, diversity and respect for all people is a challenge that many companies are grappling with today.”

In September, Paypal stopped processing payments for conspiracy theory site Infowars for promoting “hate and intolerance”.

In May, Mr Robinson was jailed for contempt of court. The 13-month sentence sparked a series of #freetommy protests and a conviction which was later quashed after procedural concerns.

Related Articles

[ad_1] Image copyright Getty Images Image caption HSBC has not said how many of its US customers have been affected HSBC has said some of its US customers’ bank accounts were hacked in October. The lender said that the perpetrators may have accessed information including account numbers and balances, statement and transaction histories and payee […]

[ad_1] Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Belgium has reportedly asked Google to obscure sensitive military sites. Google is facing legal action from Belgium for not blurring images of military sites. The Belgian defence ministry had requested that the company obscure air bases in its satellite imagery. A spokesman for Google said it has been […]

[ad_1] Ten years ago today, Bitcoin was born. A mysterious person going by the fictitious name Satoshi Nakamoto released a paper, saying how his new money would work. It was meant to be a global, digital currency that governments and banks couldn’t interfere with. So, a decade on, who uses it to trade? And why […]